Garden hoses are made of various rubber and plastic materials designed to provide a flexible, light-weight and resilient hose able to withstand the rigors of normal use. Hoses are provided with male and female end couplers by which the hoses are connected to one another, to faucets or spigots supplying liquid thereto, and to nozzles or sprinklers for dispensing the liquid.
Hose connectors that comprise machined metal components are of higher quality and crush proof character, as opposed to plastic or stamped metal components. However, machined metal components are generally more expensive to produce.
One common male hose coupler is a single piece made of brass or the like that includes at one end an internal threaded bore, and at the other end a cylindrical tail piece that is introduced into the hose end and permanently expanded outwardly to urge the hose into liquid tight engagement with a ferrule. The ferrule is another separate metal part placed over the outer end of the hose. The components in this type of assembly are relatively expensive, the manufacturing process includes multiple positioning and securing steps, and the resulting construction still has a potential leakage problem.
For example, when a coiled hose is pressurized to approximately 60 psi (standard commercial water pressure) and is pulled from one end the numerous loops of the coil formed over the length of the hose will often result in several kinks, with restricted flow of water. As the resulting water pressure in the hose escalates, water leakage may occur between the coupler and hose. In other instances, the hose or coupler may be deformed or crushed under a heavy load, such as when run over by an automobile tire. This may produce an immediate or subsequent water leakage between the hose and coupler.
While female hose couplers are generally made of machined metal parts, in many instances the male connectors are of lower quality stamped metal components which are not crush proof and are more prone to leakage. In some instances the male coupler is a combination of a threaded machined component and a stamped tail secured to the machined component by expanding or pressing the parts together, utilizing internal o-rings, by crimping or even by soldering. These additional steps and joints add to the cost of the manufacture and may also form a site of leakage.
Thus it would be desirable to provide a new construction for a male hose connector that provides secure engagement between the hose and coupler while being economical to manufacture and assemble.